We crossed the border into Guinea today and suddenly everything is green and lush and beautiful. The sudden change of my perception might have to do something with my sickness in the last two days, too, but the first impression of Guinea is very positive.
There was a coup two years ago and the country is still governed by an army controlled temporary government, you see soldiers everywhere (and they are easy to spot in their sky blue overalls). But they are extremely friendly, explain to you that they are only there to protect you, and you don’t see the typical rude tone between the authorities and the local people either.
The stage was short and the border crossing easier than expected, we had time to walk into a village in the afternoon.
We were invited by a friendly man (on the left in the following picture) to visit his house and of course didn’t reject the opportunity.
His wife is crushing millet, the others a (some of) his children. He’s got a square house which seems to be a sign of wealth in Guinea, and the number of chicken and goats, plus the fact that the stew simmering above the fire included some kind of meat, indicates that our man is well situated as well.
I asked the man if he would allow us to peek into his house and he gave us a tour of the mansion.
For comparison, this is a simpler hut, one single room with a bed inside and nothing else.
Our camp is in a grassy area with huge trees and I think it will be the first night to use our mosquito sprays.
